Requiem

A requiem is a musical setting of the Requiem Mass, the Catholic liturgy for the dead, for chorus, vocal soloists, and (in most concert versions) orchestra. It follows a largely fixed Latin text — sections like the Introit, Kyrie, Dies irae, and Agnus Dei recur across almost every requiem setting, which makes it interesting to compare how differently composers treat the exact same words.

Some requiems stay close to their liturgical, devotional origins; others, especially in the Romantic era, become large-scale dramatic concert works — Verdi's Requiem is famously operatic in scale and intensity, closer in spirit to his operas than to a hushed church service.

Composers to know: Mozart's Requiem (left unfinished at his death and completed by a student) and Verdi's Requiem are the two most performed and most contrasting settings.

Where to start listening: Mozart's Requiem, particularly its Lacrimosa movement, is the genre's most famous single passage.